Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2021 - 53

health and human service leaders who
are building healthy organizations
and the work our agency does
to provide excellent services and
maintain good working relationships
characterized by trust. "
The Academy has conducted similar
assessments with its customers and
found that the employee experience
is connected to quality service
provision. This was true across various
workforce development modalities,
including training facilitation, coaching
and culturally responsive practices.
Feedback from customers often
identifies factors that can be traced back
to strategies in the I3 framework and the
Academy's core values, as reflected in
words shared by a health and human
service executive leader:
" I have undoubtedly been inspired
to take my leadership efforts and
the evolution of my organization
to the next level! Each of their staff
behaves with integrity. They engage;
they follow up; they inquire; they lift
one's thinking. As a result, I'm able
to inspire innovation, courageous
leadership and collaboration. "
ALIGNING MISSION, VISION
AND VALUES
The core of this framework upholds a
recognition that organizational health
is a tool for aligning around a shared
mission, vision and values, which
can lead to increased creativity and

innovation. Companies perform better
when employee well-being is prioritized
and seen as the vehicle for optimal
service delivery. The following are ways
organizations can make intentional
shifts in practice to create transformative
learning experiences and workforce
development opportunities.

COMPANIES PERFORM
BETTER WHEN EMPLOYEE
WELL-BEING IS
PRIORITIZED.

Connect employees to the mission,
vision and values at recruitment and
have multiple measures in place to allow
for course correction and feedback to
enhance the organization's approach.
Explore that connection throughout all
points of the employee experience, from
onboarding to separation. For example,
retention strategies may include
employing evidence-based supervision
practices, cross-program committees
or creative feedback opportunities.
Measurement may include employee
engagement survey results, staff
turnover, use of sick and vacation time,
and attendance at events.
Establish inquiry methods that include
feedback from service delivery recipients
and provide transparent follow up
regarding changes made based on their

feedback. It can enhance the relationship
between your organization and your
client base, as well as inspire innovation.
Make your core values the building blocks
of your organizational culture. Think about
shifting away from hiring based on culture
" fit " to culture " add " to match personal
values to company values.
Ensure
leaders
understand
the
importance of treating employees as
individuals, and give them flexibility to
support the agency's mission. Use of
open and transparent communication,
followed by responses to expressed
needs and ideas can deepen the
employee's connection to their work.
Go into this process with the acceptance
that you are on a journey. Facilitate
ongoing inquiry to inform essential
course
corrections.
Organizational
health is not a destination; it's a
multifaceted practice used to change
the hearts and minds of your employees
and customers. It's about rethinking how
we connect and engage with each other
to inspire meaningful experiences - thus
enhancing deliverables.
Charmaine Utz is the workforce
development
coordinator
at
the
Academy for Professional Excellence,
where she develops and coordinates
training curriculum in partnership with child
welfare stakeholders. Jennifer TuckerTatlow is the chief executive officer of the
Academy for Professional Excellence.
Email the authors.

EMPLOYEE FEEDBACK CONNECTS BACK TO THE ORGANIZATION'S PROMISE
PROMISE
" We create experiences that transform the heart, mind and practice. "
EMPLOYEE FEEDBACK
" My work changes hearts, minds and practice by allowing me to share my life experiences with the hope that training
participants will experience a heart connection and move forward in their work with the efforts of making a healthy
impact on families. "

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MAGAZ INE - BUILDING AN EQUITABLE W ORKP L AC E I WWW. T RAI NINGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2021

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